The Better Gaming Console: Nintendo DS Vs. Sony PSP

Nintendo, a strong name in the hand held gaming market. They have held a "monopoly" over the hand held systems for years. The comes along this Sony PSP to take on the DS. So which one is better? Well that depends on your preferences in a hand held system. Is the gameplay the main thing you are looking for? Or is everything about graphics? I want to mention that before you read any further in the article I have played and bought both systems and invested hours into each. However I do gravitate toward the one system I own and will talk about the good points and bad of both systems.

Nintendo started way back in the day with the Game Boy. This brick was a massive system, using four AA batteries and had a little screen with no backlight. Since then we have moves into the Game Boy pocket, color, advance, micro and the Nintendo DS and DS lite. The DS lite is what I currently own, but I owned the DS "phat" since the week it was released. The only difference between the two is the battery life and backlight intensity. Since that will affect the article I am referencing everything to my DS lite. Back to the original thought, the DS features touch screen capability and internal wi-fi up to 30 feet. The lite can play up to 19 hours at full brightness, or so the box says. On average I can get 17 hours, which is not bad over a long period of time. And don't forget the battery life goes up as the brightness goes down. The brightness is amazing on the DS lite. It dwarfs most game machines and iPods. The brightness is either equal to or brighter than an iPod at full brightness. The wireless gameplay allows players to start their own LAN within 30 feet of each other, or go online to play people all across the world. The touch screen is nothing new as far as screens go. It is a standard touch with fingers or stylus screen. However the integration of D-pad and touch screen in a video game is amazing. It allows the gamer to play games like never before. And it allows gamers to experience FPS (First Person Shooter) and RTS (Real Time Strategy) games for the first time on a hand held console. The DS lite comes stock for $125 in retail stores.

Sony then had the idea to contest the Nintendo DS with their PSP (PlayStation Portable). This is basically in a nutshell a PS2 in your palms. The PSP has a D-pad, normal square, circle, triangle and X buttons. But it also features a "joypad." This is a circular D-pad with a full circle of motion. Like a flat joystick, if that makes sense. This is a major feature because players can use it for flight sims, FPS games and those that require a joystick. Sony's PSP has the ability to play music, , play movies, store photos, surf the internet and play games. Although this sounds like an iPod, game system and palm pilot in one system, it has its downfalls as well as success. The best part about the PSP is the graphical power. This is unmatched by any hand held system to date. The PSP is capable of playing games in 128 bit graphics like the PS2. The Nintendo DS can only go up a little higher than 64 bits. The video, photo, and movie storage requires the use of a memory stick for the PSP. The PSP comes stock with a 16MB card, I know there is a card in the box, how big it is I don't remember. And playing movies just requires you to purchase the UMD (Universal Media Disc) movie and play it in the game tray. Movies for the PSP range on average $20. Surfing the internet requires a unlocked internet connection. Game wise the PSP is just like the PS2, there is not much difference except for the mobility of the PSP. Battery life is about 3 hours of non stop gameplay, 3-4 hours for watching movies, and up to 24 hours of listening to music. Let me say that the 24 hour battery life was forced out of the PSP.

So there you have it. The Nintendo DS is basically a NIntendo 64 i your hands, while the PSP is a PS2 in your pocket. Both systems have their good and bad points. Personally I love the DS and have been playing it since it came out. The one thing the DS has I don't think the PSP has yet is online gameplay and a headset. The PSP has a port for a headset to plug into to the system for chatting. But I have not yet seen a headset available to the public.